The Department of Theatre Arts
Dating back to the founding of the University Dramatic Club in 1923, the Department of Theatre Arts is committed to the development of its students as human beings and to nurturing their apprenticeship as theatre artists.
The department fosters creativity, collaboration, discipline, and artistic growth in its students. It embraces the theatre as a means of creative expression, cultural understanding, social development, and historical perspective.
We train students in the fine art of theatre-voice, movement, scene study, and design-and also teach the historical and literary context of the theatre as a humanist and liberal art. All students are exposed to the diversity of multicultural theatre.
The department strives to develop, disseminate, and preserve knowledge. This knowledge includes the ability: to understand the theatre arts, to appreciate them, and to create works of art that enhance the human condition.
The African American Theatre Program
Founded in 1993, the African American Theatre Program is integral to the Theatre Arts; Department. It develops theatre artists trained in the traditions of African American theatre and contributes to the multi-cultural arts movement. The AATP includes two Mainstage productions, community service and touring, and eight courses for graduate and undergraduate students. Subjects include theatre history, literature and performance, and theatre practicum. Undergraduates can earn a minor in African American Theatre or Cultural Performance. The minor in African-American theatre is unique among American universities.
Theatre Arts and the Liberal Arts
The Theatre Arts Department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Among the college's essential goals are: 1)that all students undertake research so that they experience the excitement of new knowledge and change; 2) that all students be exposed to major ethical dilemmas they will face in the world; and 3) that all students look at the world through the eyes of someone different from themselves. In the classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and shops of the Theatre Arts Department, we engage these lofty goals every day.
Check out our degree programs for more information on the degrees offered at the University of Louisville, Theatre Arts Department.
Theatre in Production
Opportunities for students to learn theatre by making it include:
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Mainstage Series (Belknap Theatre)
Annual season of fully-produced shows directed by faculty or guest artists and designed by faculty or advanced graduate students. Students may audition for all productions. The repertoire includes classics, contemporary plays, and musical theatre. -
Studio Theatre
Student produced, directed, acted, designed, and managed work that emphasizes the play and performance over production values. Repertoire includes one-act plays, lesser known works, and new material. -
Juneteenth Festival
Annual celebration of new writing through play readings and a playwriting contest sponsored by the department's African American Theatre Program. -
Repertory Company
Tours culturally-diverse classic, folk, and modern plays to local schools.
Facilities
- Playhouse, a 345-seat proscenium theatre.
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Thrust Theatre, a 164-seat thrust theatre.
Career Opportunities
Our graduates live in the world as:
- Actors in the professional theatre, television, and film in America and several foreign countries.
- Designers of scenery, lighting, and costumes from coast to coast.
- Scenic artists and technicians for professional theatres and production companies.
- Teachers in public and private schools, junior colleges, colleges, and universities.
- Businesswomen (and men), parents, play-goers, and plain folk whose daily lives are enriched by a deeper understanding of the power and potential of art.